One of the mighty Twelve Superhumans, thrown away with a single attack.

The Mercenary King slammed into the ground, coughing fitfully. How was he supposed to handle this absurd reality?

Oh my god, the Mercenary King

My king Leo de Grans whispered reverentially.

Cain hissed through his scowling teeth. Im the first sword.

Youre still going on about that? I thought we were finished with this conversation.

Cain rolled his eyes. What do you mean, big brother? I said Id treat you like my older brother, not give up on being the first sword.

Are you really going to act like a child?

Thats what I should be saying. Cant you let your younger brother have this?

Dont you know theres a proper order to everything?

I thought you didnt care about the order?!

This boy is overstepping his bounds! The veins on Leos neck popped. Somehow, their casual conversation had gone haywire. Ugh, damn it

They both froze as the Mercenary King pulled himself off the ground, cussing and swearing. The humiliation stung, to say nothing of the fact that hed never heard of Aura being used like that before.

Ugh. Barbarian clenched his teeth as the ringing in his ears got worse. Ahhhhhhhhhh! The Mercenary King roared like one of the wild warriors of the north1, driving away Joshuas sound with his own mana-infused noise.

Wow, thats an angry man.

Uh, hahahah. Cain awkwardly laughed.

The Mercenary King exhaled smoke and then disappeared, leaving Joshua to blink at the empty space where he used to be while Taorin sliced toward his right shoulder. The mighty ax cut a white streak through the air

But Joshua wasnt there anymore. He used Lugia as a lever to swing his body around, whipping his mana-hardened leg into the Mercenary King. It sounded more like an iron pole than delicate flesh when it smacked into Barbarians body.

The Mercenary King shouldve been able to easily avoid an attack like that; even with Joshuas Aura Force, Barbarian couldve used Aura Overlay to dodge. But with that awful ringing in his ears, he couldnt muster the razor-sharp focus it took to wield a supernatural force like Aura properly.

That damned noise.

Joshua was undeterred by Barbarians defense. His legs, trailing wisps of white smoke, hammered into the Mercenary King over and over. The speed of his rotation was faster than what Joshuas opponent expected, and it was only getting fasterBarbarian couldnt do anything but block the kicks.

Suddenly, Joshua tugged Lugia out of the ground2.

What are you? Taorin suddenly stopped mid-swing, accompanied by a mist of blood droplets. Did he hit Joshua? When?

No.

The Mercenary King could feel the blood dripping out of his right thigh onto the barren land. If he hadnt managed to move at the last moment, that long cut wouldve severed the entire leg.

Youve ignored something very important: the world revolves backwards here. You never know if youre fooling the world or the world is fooling you.

Barbarians expression hardened. You

Now you get it, right?

The Mercenary Kings body erupted into a torrent of blood; he had sharp cuts carved into his thighs, knees, shoulders, and sides. He wasnt dead, but he wasnt in good shape.

He stared at his bloodied body for a moment. Keuk kekekekekeke.

Joshua watched him laugh in silence.

Its clear now.

Youre a special case. Its no surpriseyour lineage has so many secrets.

Joshua stared blankly, surprised to find that the Mercenary King could still stand. The battle was decided, but perhaps Joshua had gotten ahead of himself. The Mercenary King was very different from any of the Twelve that Joshua had seen before. At the very least, he was a man who knew his weaknesses, much like Ulabis, the Knight of Flame.

Be happy with who you are. Anyway, Taorin wont be too happy with you.

Joshua was completely confused but shrugged it off when the Mercenary King came running at him again. Then, just like before, he opened his mouth and let loose with his sonic attack.

The Mercenary King cursed again but then laughed. If Joshua could fool his eyes and ears, then the solution was simple: close his eyes, and shield his ears with mana. When he shut his eyes, he could feel everything around him; when he covered his ears, every hair stood on end, and every cell in his body woke up. He could still sense Joshuas energy, and Joshua could never fool that sense.

I cant see it, but I can feel it.

His Aura started to burn again like hed never been knocked down. His Aura Overlay emerged over his hand with explosive force.

HAHAHAHAHA! The Mercenary King attacked with a strength unfettered by sanity. He swung Taorinor rather, he swung his entire body like a windmill, crushing everything in his path. This was one of the secrets that made the Mercenary King what he was: Taorins Wind.

With a bang, the Mercenary King transformed into a silver wind aimed straight at Joshua. The nearby knights were lucky enough to be running away already, or else they would have been caught up in the all-consuming wind.

This is the final form of my Aura Overlay!

Joshuas eyes were perfectly tranquil, even in the face of this howling typhoon. The Mercenary King was never really a worthy opponentas the fight went on, that idea became a certainty.

It was time to end it. Not for his opponent, but for his loyal subordinates.

There was one spear technique that would be perfect for this situation 3, and Joshua was eager to try it out.

Joshua slowly swung Lugia, leaving behind rings of red until he was encased in a perfect sphere of crimson, like a blood moon.

The Fifth Form of the Magic Spear Arts, Moons Space.

The moonlight shone upon the earth for a moment and then, strangely enough, disappeared. Joshua was left behind, surrounded by a thick carpet of white smoke.

The smoke didnt stay white for long. It became a deep, impenetrable blacka black hole.

Wh-What? The Mercenary King was instantly imprisoned in a ball of black smoke.

Joshua quietly approached and examined the obviously furious mercenary. He lifted Lugia, eyes gleaming, and sent its sharp blade slicing through the sphere on an elegant trajectory as if he was cutting the moon itself out of the sky.

Moons Decapitation.

Out of nowhere, Joshua appeared behind the Mercenary King4. A heartbeat later, it erupted into a fountain of blood. Slowlyever so slowlyBarbarians body collapsed to the ground.

Joshua trembled. He got itnow he was as strong as he had been in his past life5. The spear knight who had never met defeat, no matter how far and wide he searched for an opponent. The strongest spear in the Avalon Empire.

Unconsciously, Joshua clenched his fist as he watched the Mercenary King fall.